As requirements for data storage density increase for magnetic media, cell size decreases. A commensurate decrease in the size of a writer is difficult because in many systems, a strong write field is needed to switch the polarity of cells on a magnetized medium. As a result, writing data to smaller cells on the magnetized medium using the relatively larger write pole may affect the polarization of adjacent cells (e.g., overwriting the adjacent cells). Various recording techniques have been developed to enable gains in areal density capability (ADC) without significant corresponding decreases in device performance.
One such recording technique is interlaced magnetic recording (IMR). IMR utilizes alternating data tracks of different written track widths arranged with overlapping edges. In some perpendicular interlaced magnetic recording applications, tracks of different write widths are created using writers with two differently-sized write poles. This creates a number manufacturing challenges regarding write pole placement and performance setbacks regarding transducer head functionality.